News Release
Study published in Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine finds
Farabloc cloth provides significant relief from muscle pain and injury from
overexercise.
Product shown to have significant potential for worker rehabilitation, high-performance sports training
and recovery from muscle injuries
Vancouver, B.C. - September 5, 2000 - A study published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine (Volume 10, Number 1, 2000 Philadelphia, PA),
a leading international sports medicine research periodical, has found that Farabloc - a metal fibre cloth product originally developed to alleviate phantom limb pain - has the ability to significantly speed the recovery of muscles that have been damaged from
overexercise. The results have exciting implications for the recovery from muscle injuries in sports training and rehabilitation from workplace injuries.
"We didn't expect these results but find them to be quite revolutionary for the pain and injury world, whether you're dealing with sports or the rehabilitation of muscles from accidents or overuse," said study leader Dr. Douglas Clement. "The serum level results show clearly that the Farabloc cloth wrap significantly reduced the level of noxious substances in the blood that are associated with muscle injuries and inflammation. The result was subjects using Farabloc made faster recoveries that are of clinical value. This is of direct significance to the pain and muscle injury research world."
Entitled "The Efficacy of Farabloc, An Electromagnetic Shield, in Attenuating Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness" the study was conducted by a team led by Dr. Clement, who is from the School of Human Kinetics and Division of Family Practice at UBC. The study won the Robert Tait McKenzie Medallion from the Canadian Academy of Sports Medicine and formed the thesis for a master's degree in science for team member Jian Zhang.
The study evaluated the ability of Farabloc (which has medical device class 1 status) to significantly reduce the markers of muscle injury - pain, strength loss, inflammation, high levels of CPK and other serum biochemical markers of muscle cell damage - that occur during overexercise and as a result of injury.
The researchers created DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness, the muscle pain and injury that most people get from overexertion) in untrained subjects and then measured Farabloc's impact on recovery. The Farabloc or placebo was wrapped around the limb for a measured portion of the post-exercise period. Serum and psychological measurements were taken at 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after the exercise. The results showed that Farabloc improved recovery times substantially.
Impressive reductions in strength loss and muscle pain in 24 hours.
For example, the study found substantial reductions in pain (44%) and strength loss (17% less) at 24 hours after exercise. In fact, it took the placebo group two days to reach the reduced muscle pain readings reached by the Farabloc group in the first day. In the strength testing, it took the placebo group four days to recover to the strength levels the Farabloc group reached at just 24 hours after exercise.
In addition, levels of all serum biochemical markers were reduced significantly. The markers that were tested include creatine phosphokinase
(CPK), malondiandehyde, myoglobin, leukocytes and neutrophils, all important indicators of muscle damage from injury. CPK levels at 24 hours for the Farabloc group were 87.07 units per litre, almost three times less than the placebo group measurement of 241.21.
Ability to block high-frequency EMF radiation forms a working theory
A separate unpublished study conducted by the UBC Department of Physics found that the Farabloc metal fibre cloth is able to block high-frequency
(HF) EMF radiation in the high to ultra-high HF range. Research in the scientific literature has uncovered evidence suggesting that EMF can have a negative effect at the cellular level.
The researchers suggest that Farabloc's strength may lie in its ability to block HF EMF from reaching the muscle tissue and limiting additional injury to the muscle during the post-exercise stage. Farabloc may act to speed recovery times by reducing the total amount of injury resulting from the overexercise itself. A document is available in the study media information kit to explain this working theory in greater detail.
Farabloc has also been the subject of a double-blind study that was published in the Canadian Journal of Rehabilitation (Volume 6, Number 3, 1993). "The Efficacy of Farabloc in the Treatment of Phantom Limb Pain" found that Farabloc provided statistically significant amounts of relief from phantom limb pain in amputees.
A media information kit with copies of both studies and additional information on Farabloc is available. A sample of the Farabloc material is also available.
Farabloc (www.farabloc.com) is a patented non-electric, non-invasive metal fibre lightweight woven material that was created and developed by the Farabloc Development Corporation using proprietary design and fabrication technologies. Composed of a weave of ultra-thin metal fibres within a flexible cloth, Farabloc is available in gloves or socks, pants, jackets and arm and leg bands in a variety of sizes. Farabloc is classified as a medical device class 1. The corporate mission of the Farabloc Development Corporation is to develop Farabloc as a mainstream international fitness and healthcare product that can be used to alleviate the pain and injury of muscle damage in both able-bodied patients and amputees.
Media contact:
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